Missing Pieces
by Juria
Summary: The inbetweens of my The Night Before series, to fill in the gaps between the final battle and the epilogue,and to tell the tales of each couple, and of certain individuals. Contains Toko, MaixJet, Kataang, and Ty Lokka. Enjoy, read, and review!
1. Toph and Zuko

Missing Pieces: Toph and Zuko By: Juria Notes: All characters are copywritten to Nickelodeon, or something. Toko rules! This story is tied in with my original series, but it is also a series of long one-shots to fill in the blanks between the end and the epilogue, explaining what happened to each couple, character, etc in more detail. Also, I apologize, but I kinda forgot Toph's parent's names. Gonna give it a PG-13 rating for mild nudity, cursing, and a bunch of other crap, nothing too bad though. Yeah, Toph's still 16.

Zuko stared blankly at the bloodly stain that was once his father. Now, there was blood and dirt. He scoffed and kicked a rock. "Dad." he muttered. Toph's eyes glanced in the direction of his voice. "Come on, let's get out of here." she said, placing her hand in Zuko's and leading him back to one of the few remaining ships.

As they walked towards the ship, Zuko gave a sigh as the last reminants of Azula's ship stuck out of the water before sinking with the rest of it. "Azula." he said, gently bowing his head. By the time they reached Iroh, Zuko's once happy expression had faded from his face. Iroh gently placed his hand on Zuko's shoulder. "It's ok." he said, seeing the tears behind Zuko's eyes.

Zuko practically collapsed into his uncle's shoulder, weeping as an inner pain tore at his heart. "They're gone." he said, his uncle and Toph both hugging the prince gently. Zuko wept that day, not only tears of relief and inner struggle, but tears of love, and genuine sorrow. Toph calmly stroked his hair, letting him cry on her shoulder. Once he had gotten it out of his system, she smirked at him. "You tell anyone about this princess, and you're a dead man." she said sternly, getting a chuckle out of both Zuko and Iroh.

3 months passed. Zuko and Iroh moved to Gaoling and, thanks to a "gental nudge" from Toph, her parents shelled out the money for the two to re-start their tea shop, and then some. "Um, are you sure your parents don't mind giving us this much money?" Iroh had asked with a nervous look, unsure if they would be able to pay them back.

Toph simply shook her head. "Trust me, it's no big deal." she said. Zuko looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?" he asked. Toph looked over in his direction and smirked. "Nevermind." she said, getting a nervous glance from both of her friends, which she couldn't see, but definatly felt..

The young earthbender quickly exited before any more questions could be asked. Zuko shook his head. "She scares me, sometimes." he said. Iroh couldn't help but chuckle. "Makes me glad I'm not younger." the two gentalmen shared a chuckle before unpacking the supplies Toph had generously provided, loading boxes of tea into the large storage closet in the back.

Soon, people began to pour in, rich and poor, young and old. Zuko was practically tripping over his own feet. "Where did all of these people come from?" he asked his uncle when he finally got a few seconds to catch his breath. Iroh grinned at him and held up a gold coin. "I don't know, but I hope they come back again." he said, giving a hearty belly laugh. Zuko couldn't help but smile as he returned to his duties. For once, his uncle looked truely happy and content.

9 hours later...

Zuko breathed a sigh of relief as the crowd finally dispursed, putting away the last of the chairs and counting out the day's earnings. "This is great, we'll be able to pay back the Bei Fong's with interest." Iroh said. Zuko nodded and pushed the money sat aside for payment into a large box, unusually quickly for Iroh's taste. "And just where do you think you're going?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Zuko looked up his uncle. "Oh, I just thought it would be best to, um, get this out of the way." he said. Iroh gave his nephew a quizzical stare, then grinned. "Are you sure this has nothing to do with you and a certain blind bandit?" he asked.

Zuko sweated nervously. "Not sure what you're talking about, gotta go, see ya later tonight." he answered, thanking the spirits for his days as the blue spirit, as he hurried out of his uncle's sight, and question range. Zuko got about half-way to the Bei Fong residence before ducking into an alleyway. Nervously, he looked around to make sure he wasn't being followed, then he slowly opened the box, his palms sweating. As his hands made a grab for the gold, he began to shake as his mind screamed at him. He slammed the lid shut and rested against the wall.

"What in the hell am I doing? This money is for Toph's family, and in turn, for her. It wouldn't be right of me to do this. What would she say?" he asked himself. "She'd say you're in deep mooselion shit." he heard a fimilar, stern female voice say. Zuko stood up and spun around, getting into a fighting stance, but dropping it just as quickly when he saw Toph enter the dim light.

"Hey Toph, I was just on my way to..." but suddenly, he found her hand in front of his face. "I don't want to hear it, Zuko. I heard your little conversation with yourself, and frankly, I'm pissed off at you right now. How could you even think of doing this? I thought those days were over!" she shouted, kicking up the earth under the box, sending it flying over Zuko's head, and catching it in her hands. Zuko gulped nervously, then held up his hands defensivly, slowly backing away. "Uh, Toph, I can explain." he said, backing up from her, before feeling the dirt under him jerk him onto his ass, then into an alley wall.

Toph put the box down, then walked over to him, a devilish grin on her face. She placed her feet on Zuko's ankles, then her hands on his wrist, holding his arms above his head, before kissing him firm, hard on the lips. "You've been a bad boy Zuzu." she said with a grin. Zuko expected her to hands to start roaming, but instead, he felt nothing, except immobility.

It was then that he realized that she had bended his hands above his head, and his feet to the ground. "Come on Toph, let me up." he complained. Toph simply whistled a tune as she walked off, leaving Zuko pinned to the floor and wall. "This'll give you time to think about your actions, young man." she said with a laugh, walking off, leaving Zuko angry, but uninjured. She didn't speak to him for the next 3 months.

3 months later...

Toph practically ran into 'The Jade Dragon", Iroh and Zuko's tea shop, something unusual for her, panting and huffing. "Sokka's getting married!" she shouted, holding up the letter that had been read to her that morning, the invitation addressed to all three of them. Zuko cautiously took the letter from her, unsure if she wasn't just going to knock him through the roof or not. She was still ticked off at him, after all. He mentally sighed when he noticed his body was on the ground. Zuko and Iroh both read the letter:

"Dear Zuko, Toph, and Iroh,

So, how's things in Gaoling? Tea shop going great? Toph get knocked up yet?"

Zuko looked away and huffed as Toph gave a slight grunt. She was going to have to hurt Sokka for that one.

"Anyways, just thought I'd let you know, I finally proposed to Ty Lee, and we're getting married in a couple of weeks. Kyoshi is really nice. The villagers had a hard time at first, getting used to me and Ty Lee, as well as dealing with Suki's death. We'll talk more when you guys show up. You are showing, right?

Sincerly, Sokka & Ty Lee

P.S. This is the last time Sokka writes the inviatations. I swear to the universe. - Ty Lee"

Zuko and Iroh stared at their inviatations, then bursted out laughing. Obviously, Sokka had done the pictures, and he still had no artistic ability. Zuko stopped laughing when he watched as Toph jumped up and stormed out of the shop. He gave a nod to his uncle, then chased after her.

She waited until they were far enough away from the city, before turning around and sending three pillars of earth his direction. Zuko jumped out of the way and got into his stance. "So, what do you want to talk about?" he asked. Toph said nothing, but slowly circled with Zuko. "Come on, there's got to be something on your mind." he asked, recieving the same answer as last time, only this time directly underneath him.

Zuko flipped forward, and Toph shot a wall of earth in front of him, Zuko barely avoiding it. Zuko cautiously waited until Toph tried to send another pillar of earth from under him, this time using it to leap into the air and send several fireblast Toph's way. Toph simply wrapped the earth over her, locking herself inside of a dome of rock. Zuko stopped his attack and pressed his ear against the dome. He heard her, crying, cursing herself and any and all gods that would listen. "Toph, I'm sorry." he said. She responded by throwing the front half of the dome at him, pinning him against a tree.

Toph instantly put the dome down when she heard Zuko's back hit the tree, unsure if the crack was the tree or his spine. She ran up to him as he practically fell into her arms. Toph gently placed him on the ground, listening for any sign of cracked ribs, a broken back, anything. "Hey Zuko, you alive?" she asked, her head resting against his chest. Zuko grinned, then took this opportunity to grab her arms and pin her to the ground, positioning his legs so she couldn't knee him in the groin. "So, how does it feel?" he asked. "You bastard." she said. Zuko smirked. "Now, that's not very lady-like." he said. Toph smirked, then a few tears began to form in her eyes. "Damn you." she said coldly.

Zuko quickly released his grip on her and climbed off of her. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned that he might have hurt her. Toph sat up, then walked over to Zuko, and fell into his arms, crying. "Why does it hurt?" she asked. Zuko gently held her, remembering how much it hurt to see Katara embrace Aang. "I don't know." he said softly, just letting her cry on his shoulder. Gently, he lifted her head and kissed her, letting her hands touch his face, his scar, tears falling from his good eye. Toph and Zuko's hands roamed over eachother, lips locked, each crying for the other.

After almost 10 minutes of kissing, crying, and Toph vowing to kill Zuko if he told anyone about their moment, Toph walked back to the city, Zuko's hand holding hers. When they got to the Bei Fong household, Toph kissed Zuko one more time before walking inside, Zuko noting the stare from Toph's father. Zuko took a deep sigh, then started walking back to the small apartment next to the tea shop. He and uncle had a lot of packing to do.

The Next Day...

Toph woke up to the sound of Zuko arguing with the front guard. "What do you mean she's ill? She was just fine yesterday!" Zuko shouted. "Sorry, orders from the head of the household, no one is to see miss Toph for at least a week." Toph rubbed the sleep from her eyes and earthbended the guard out of her way before greeting Zuko. Zuko couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked, the nightgown looking almost like a bright yellow dress. "So, um, uh, wow, you ready?" he asked.

Toph huffed at him. "Do I look ready, princess?" she asked, inviting him and Iroh in before returning to her room. Zuko couldn't help but nod at the guard. "So, sick huh?" he asked. The guard just gave him a nervous glance. "I'm sorry sir, it was the order of Lady Toph's father." he said. As if on cue, Toph's father appeared in the doorway, his wife obediently following behind him. He scowled at Zuko. "What is he doing here?" he asked, the look on his face staring like he had just stepped into something rotten.

The guard bowed. "Forgive me sir, Lady Toph, um, overrid your orders." he said. Toph's father looked over at Iroh, and scoffed. "See these two, um, people, out of my home." he said. The guard took one look at Iroh, then at his employer. "Um, sir, you do it." he stated, backing away.

Toph emerged from her room, wearing an outfit similar to the one she'd worn when she'd first joined Aang, except that her hair was done in two buns, the outfit looked more like a dress with green shorts, and spiked wrist bands, her dufflebag slung over her shoulder. "So, are we ready?" she asked.

Toph's father stared at her. "Toph, I forbid you to go with these two, um, fugitives." At this point, Zuko stood up and he had to be held back by Iroh. "How dare you call us fugitives. Those days are long gone." he said, his hands glowing. Toph's mother turned to her daughter with a sympathetic look in her eyes. "Toph, please understand, your father and I only want what's best for you." Toph stared straight forward, listeing to words being thrown back and forth, before finally summoning a pillar of earth inches from both Zuko and her father's faces.

"That's enough. Dad, these people have been my family for the past 9 months. The avatar and his companions treated me 100 times better than I was treated here. I tried to move back in, make amends, and even let these servents take care of me, but the truth is, I don't belong here, this is my decision, and you can't just..." she was suddenly stopped by a hand, slapping her, hard, across the face. It wasn't her mother's doing, it was her father's.

"I won't hear another word from you, you ungrateful child. You will do as I tell you. I am your father and my word is final!" he shouted. It took every bit of Iroh's own will power to hold back Zuko, as well as himself.

But Toph, on the other hand, didn't feel like holding back. She stood up and licked her lips, her cheek stinging. "Is that all you've got?" she asked with a smirk. Her father tried to strike again, but this time, Toph grabbed his wrist, and bent it backwards, bringing her father to his knees in pain. Toph tapped her foot on the floor as she released him, sending up three pillars of earth, knocking him backwards through the dining room table.

Zuko and Iroh both watched as Toph's father went crashing through the table, being knocked unconscience. Toph looked in the direction of her mother. "Bye mom, I love you." she said, before walking into her room, picking up a wide-brimmed straw hat, and walking out the door, never looking back. "Hey, you guys coming?" she asked. Iroh and Zuko nodded to the lady of the house, before running after Toph. Toph's mother stared down at her husband, his chest rising up and down. "You had it coming." she said before storming off to make plans for a divorce.

Iroh and Zuko quickly caught up with Toph as she stormed ahead of them. "Come on boys, we got a wedding to go to." she said. Zuko suddenly stopped her and hugged her. "It's ok, you can drop the tough-girl act. We won't tell anyone." he said calmly.

Toph titled her head down, then embraced Zuko, shaking. "What have I done?" she asked, tears stinging her eyes. Zuko felt her cheek, where her father had struck her, and for a second, he wanted to go back and rip him apart, but he quickly let that thought go when Uncle Iroh placed his hand on his shoulder. "Cowards like him don't matter. Right now, she is the one who needs us." he said, placing his other hand on Toph's shoulder. Zuko embraced Toph, letting her get out all of her sadness, her guilt, her depression.

Once she had finished, Zuko decided to tell her the good news, and she full-blown plowed him in the arm. "Why didn't you tell me the ship still worked?" she asked, walking between Zuko and Iroh. Zuko held his left arm, dreading the bruise that would show up the next day. "You never asked."

Toph sighed. "You jerk, I was about to walk all the way to Kyoshi Island." "Or, you could always swim." Iroh suggested. "No thanks Grandpa, water just isn't my thing." Iroh gave a stern look to Zuko "Grandpa?". Zuko rolled his eyes. "We haven't done anything." Toph smirked at where the conversation was going. "Yet." she chimed in. Zuko couldn't hide his blushing.

Two days later...

The Fire Navy ship finally landed on Kyoshi Island, much to Toph's delight. She still couldn't resist the urge to make a dirt angel as soon as they hit the shore. Zuko smiled as the sun shone down upon the town of Kyoshi, hoping that most had forgotten or forgiven him since the last time he was here. However, he knew all was forgiven when he saw his friends standing there to greet them. Toph even pulled herself out of the dirt and helped Iroh unload the exotic teas he had brought as a wedding gift.

"Zuko?" Katara asked, embracing her friend. Zuko nervously hugged her back, trying to get any and all thoughts of her out of his head. He was then greeted with several more hugs, including ones from Aang and Ty Lee. "Hey Zuko, you're only here less than a minute, and already you're stealing my woman." a cocky, smug voice said from behind the crowd.

Zuko quickly relinquished his hug on Ty Lee and jumped back. "She was after me." Sokka walked right up to Zuko, looking ready to punch his lights out, then the two men snorted and went into a fit of laughter before hugging one another.

"So, anything new?" he asked. Sokka rolled his eyes at Aang. "Nope, Avatar-boy here still hasn't asked my sister to marry him yet, Jet still thinks he's got the lone wolf thing going and won't just come out and ask Mai, and then there's you, and well, Toph." he said, looking around for the blind earthbender, before realizing that she was right behind him. Sokka turned around and grinned nervously. "Hey Toph. Did you do something to your hair?" he asked.

Toph smirked at him, then walked up and punched him in the arm, hard. "That's for not telling me sooner." she said, then punched him a second time. "And that's for asking if I was pregnate or not." she said before hugging him. "Just remember to treat her right, or else I'll do things to you that make what I did to The Boulder look like a picnic." she whispered into his ear. Sokka nervously stepped away from Toph as she made an introduction to, and was hugged by, Ty Lee.

Later that night...

Toph walked over the bridge, the one where Sokka had told her about him and Suki's first kiss, kicking a stone several feet away into the water. "Damn him." "Who are we daming?" a male voice asked from behind her. She cocked her head in the direction of Zuko. "Sokka." she huffed. Zuko couldn't help but laugh. She was 16, and yet, she still acted like a child with a crush. "Aw, what's wrong? Is little Toph still hung up on Sokka?" he asked in a childish voice. Toph responded by dropping the earth out from under him and sending him into the cold water below. "I don't know, is wittle Zuzu still hung up on Katara?" she asked with a smirk.

Zuko grinned, then grabbed her leg and pulled her into the water, wrapping his arm around her waist. "You tell me first." he said, playfully tickling her ribs. Once Toph realized that her feet could touch the dirt under the water, she relazed and giggled, trying her best to hold back any laughter. After a few seconds, she exploded in a fit of laughter. "Damn you Zuko!" she shouted, as Zuko gently continued to torment her. The two teens lifted themselves out of the water, laughing and gasping for air.

Zuko looked up at the two lit buildings where the bachlor and bachlorette parties were beind held. "So, wanna go?" he asked. Toph lept up and grabbed him in a headlock. "Not until you tell me, are you still hung up on Katara?" she asked. Zuko tried to break free from her strong arms, but the little earthbender was actually stronger than her petite frame let on. After almost a minute of struggling, he finally gave in. "Ok, let me go, and I'll tell you." he practically whined, hoping no one heard him.

Toph released her hold on Zuko, who stumbled back and rested against a tree, Toph resting next to him, both of them soaking wet. "No, I haven't been for almost a year." he said with a laugh. "Great, I'd hate to have to hurt Sugar Queen." Toph said with a smirk. Zuko sighed as he stared up at the stars. "Of course, she was the first one I kissed." he muttered.

Toph stood up, walked over to Zuko, and planted a punch just inches from his head. " You what?" she asked, before storming away from him. Zuko stood up and tried to run after her, each time getting blocked by one pillar of earth or another. "Come on Toph, it wasn't like that." "So, did you decide to screw her, too?!" she shouted, not caring if the whole island heard her.

On top of a hill, Katara, Sokka, Ty Lee, Mai, Aang, Jet, and everyone else decided to watch the incoming fight between Zuko and Toph, each side bored with their own party. Sokka placed his arms around Ty Lee. "Honey, promise me we're never going to get that bad." he said. Ty Lee giggled at him. "Of course not." she said. "Yeah, if anything, your fights will be much worse than that." Mai said in her usual monotone, a small smirk on her face. Sokka looked up at her, then over at Ty Lee. "She is joking, right?"

The rest of the night was spent watching, as Bumi called it "Lifestyles of the Toph and the Zuko.", which consisted of many curse words, rocks and fire, trash-talking, and in the end, Zuko waking up the next morning with Toph under him, and one hell of a headache.

Zuko gulped as he noticed Toph's tunic was un-buttoned, exposing her small, yet perky breasts to the world. As Zuko's mind started another argument of right and wrong, he reached down, re-attached the button, then looked away. Toph, meanwhile, was completely awake, she just felt like waiting and seeing what he'd do. She sat up and wrapped her arms around the warm body that was sitting on her bed, praying it was Zuko's.

"Good Morning Zuko." she said with a giggle. Zuko gave her a sigh. "Did we do anything last night?" he asked, holding his head and falling back on the bed. Toph climbed on top of him and grinned. "Not yet, but I think we could now." she said, before holding her own head and laying next to him. "Or maybe not, damn headaches."

A few hours later...

Toph and Zuko exited their room, sharing a nervous laugh. Unfortunatly, Zuko was greeted by both Jet and Sokka, the last two people he wanted to heard from, while Toph was greeted by everyone from Smellerbee to Katara. "Alright Zuko, way to go." Jet said with a grin. Zuko glared at him. "Nothing happened last night." he said firmly, walking away from him. "That's not what we heard last night." Sokka chimed in. Zuko froze dead in his tracks."What did you say?" he asked, gulping and looking nervously over at Toph. Sokka slowly stepped back as Aang stepped between his friends, noticing how Zuko's hands started glowing. "Look, all Sokka is saying is that we heard some weird noises coming from your room last night after you and Toph got into your fight."

"Fight? I've seen plenty of fights. Those two had Earth Rumble 16." Bumi said with a chuckle. Zuko's hands began emiting sparks, before Uncle Iroh stepped in front of him. "I can tell all of you right now, nothing happened. Trust me, I've been around long enough to tell the difference between two lovers, and two people trying to crawl into one bed." he announced, getting every look from the calm and relieved, to the slightly weirded out. "Besides, my nephew will get intimate with his girlfriend when he feels the time is right." he added in, causing Zuko and Toph to both blush, then, in unison, step away from the entire crowd, rather quickly.

Sokka shook the rather disturbing mental pictures from his head and took Ty Lee's hand, noticing how both of them had taken the same idea to sleep in their wedding clothes. "Come on people, we've got a wedding to get to." he declared.

Zuko watched as Ty Lee and Sokka lead the crowd of their friends and family to the Kyoshi temple. "Sorry about that." he said. Toph felt her face get hot as she held his hand. "It's ok, he got us away from them, for now." she said, brushing Zuko's hair out of his face before tilting her head up and kissing him. "We should really get going, before we miss the wedding." he said, returning her kiss. "I know, but I don't wanna." she playfully whined. Zuko grinned. "Come on, I'll race ya to the temple." he said, using his firebending to propel himself forward. Toph grinned as she turned the earth into her own personal skateboard. "Yeah, and I'll win."

Less than two months later, Toph finally asked Zuko to marry her, after almost a year of beating the issue around. Toph's parents reconciled their differences, and Toph even found it in her heart to forgive her father, who since their incident, has lightened up. Iroh gained help from three unlikey sources, after some convincing by Zuko. Li, Jin, and Song all became employed by Iroh, and the four of them couldn't be happier.

Toph listened to the sound of crickets chirping in the night as she listened to the sound of a second heartbeat inside of her stomach. She smiled each time she felt the life inside of her kick. A second hand placed itself on her stomach, feeling their child kick. "So, is it ready yet?" Zuko asked with all the excitement of a child on Christmas morning.

Toph rolled her eyes at him. "It's a baby, Zuko, not a cake." she said with a grin. Zuko gave out a sigh. "I know, but can you blame me?" Toph smiled as she walked over to her husband and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes, I can. But, I'm not going to." Zuko sat behind Toph, his arms drapped over the front of her dress, a smile on his face. Toph reached up and gently caressed his face, then rested her head on his chest, listening to both the heartbeat of her husband, and the heartbeat of the child inside of her, and thanking the spirits for the miracles she had.

The End.

So, what do you think?  
Please Read and Review.  
Thanks.  
- Juria 


	2. Ty Lee, Sokka, and Suki

Missing Pieces: Ty Lee, Sokka, and Suki By: Juria Notes: All characters are copywritten to Nickelodeon, or something. This story is tied in with my original series, but it is also a series of one-shots to fill in the blanks between the end and the epilogue, explaining what happened to each couple, character, etc in more detail. Gonna give it a PG-13 rating. Contains TyLokka, mild Sukka, and character death.

Suki watched as her friends celebrated the death of Ozai, content in the fact that they had won. However, something was still nagging at her mind. No, someone. "Sokka." she said softly. She closed her eyes, trying to forget Ty Lee wrapping her arms and legs around him, trying to blot out the jealousy in her heart. However, when she opened her eyes, she felt a burning pain in her side. She looked to her right and saw a in a red dress girl with a knife, the blade covered in a strange purple liquid, and blood, her blood. "Who are you?" she demanded, before collapsing to the ground.

Sokka watched as the castle sunk into the ground, cheering as Toph twisted it into a giant spiral. His eyes roamed over Ty Lee, whom had played as big of a role in this war as he had, if not more. He watched as she walked towards him, sporting the biggest smile he'd ever seen. She was truely happy, content in the fact that they could star a new life together, anywhere, without fear of the fire nation breathing down their necks.

As the two lovers embraced in the silence of their inner peace, Sokka couldn't help but feel something was wrong. "You haven't seen Suki, have you?" he asked. Ty Lee rolled her eyes, then pointed towards the shore. "She's out there, if you wanna go say goodbye." she said, a reassuring look in her eyes, praising the universe for showing her her true path and her true love as she watched Sokka run off to say farewell to their old friend.

Ty Lee couldn't help but giggle to herself, looking around at all of her new allies and friends. Less than 5 months ago, she wouldn't have thought twice about knocking out half of these people, maybe even killing them. Strange how things change when your eyes are truely open, strange how things change...

Her thoughts were interrupted with a sudden scream, a scream that caught everyone's attention. The scream belonged to Sokka.

Sokka walked up the small hill from the shore, carrying Suki's limp, lifeless body in his arms, blood on his shirt, screaming like a lost child, the remaining Kyoshi warriors following him. "Katara!, Aang!, Somebody!" Ty Lee and Katara bolted down the hill and met Sokka half-way, lifting Suki out of his arms with suprising strength. Once she was secure, Ty Lee cleaned herself off and walked outside of the medical tent, as Katara, Aang, and several other waterbending healers worked on Suki.

Sokka was sitting on the ground, tears in his eyes, his hands shaking. Ty Lee gently put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, are you gonna be alright?" she asked, a rare look of concern on her face. Sokka turned to her with a blank stare, then just buried his head in her chest, weeping. "Please spirits, please gods, don't let her die." he said between sobs. Ty Lee gently held him, feeling the tension of war, and loss of love, flow through his body. "It's alright, I'm here now." she said in a gental, soothing voice.

After a few minutes, Katara, Aang, and the other waterbenders exited the tent, Katara's head tilted down and away from her brother. "Sokka, I'm sorry. We managed to close the wound, but we were too late. She hasn't got much longer." Sokka stood up, his hands still shaking as Ty Lee firmly gripped his hand in hers. Sokka's voice struggled not to crack. "Can I see her?" he asked. Both Katara and Aang nodded in unison. "I'm sorry. I failed." Aang said, but Sokka shook his head. "You're the avatar, not a god. You did what you could." he said reassuringly before walking into the tent.

There he saw her, Suki, barely breathing, her eyes fluttering open, a small smile on her face when she saw Sokka and Ty Lee standing together. "You two look good together." she said softly. Sokka got closer to her and knelt next to her, holding her hand. "Suki, I..." but she stopped him. "Don't say it. You'll ruin everyone's good mood." she said. Sokka turned around as he heard everyone else enter the tent.

"Who did this to you?" Mai asked, concern even breaking through her usual monotone. Suki sighed, then coughed slightly. "Some weird little girl in a red dress. She ran into the forest." Mai and Jet exchanged a glance, then took off, almost like two people in a race, into the forest. Suki's gaze then turned to Ty Lee. "Hey, take care of Sokka. He needs all the help he can get." she said, getting a smile from everyone. 'That's better." Ty Lee placed a comforting hand on Sokka's shoulder.

Iroh looked deep into the young Kyoshi warrior's eyes, knowing her time was drawing to a close. "Is there anything you need?" he asked. Suki tried to sit up, but failed as her arms refused to move, holding back the burning pain the was snaking through-out her body. "Yes, my body is poisoned. When I die, have Toph make a stone coffin, and let Zuko burn my body, so I don't poison anything else." she said. The former prince said nothing, but gave a quick nod of reassurance.

Sokka gently stroked Suki's hair. "Suki you can't go yet. Fight this, I know you can." he said, fighting back the tears that stung his eyes. Suki turned her head to him a gave a smile. "Sokka, you know as well as I do, we can't fight forever. Things live, and things die. And my time has come." she said, staring at the roof. "It's funny, I'm not jealous anymore. I'm not jealous of you and Ty Lee, or Toph and Zuko, or anyone else who has found love during this war. If anything, I just feel peace."

Sokka laid his head on Suki's shoulder, as Toph laid her head on her chest. They both listened, Toph for the heartbeat, Sokka for the breath. Suki gently rested her head on Sokka's shoulder, closed her eyes, and took one final breath. Toph lifted her head, tears falling down her face. "I can't feel a heartbeat." she said, feeling Zuko's hand on her shoulder. Sokka sighed deeply, then stood up, crossed Suki's arms over her chest, placed her fans in her hands, then ran his fingers over her eyes, closing them. Then, he walked out of the tent, a million thoughts flooding his head.

After Toph had prepared the earth-coffin, and Zuko had done as Suki had wished, the two left in silence, while Sokka stared into the fire, watching the body of one of his best friends, one of his former lovers, burn. Ty Lee squeezed his hand in hers, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Sokka." she said softly. Sokka took a deep breath, then took Ty Lee's other hand in his. "No, if anything, I failed, once again, to protect someone I love. But I'm not going to let that happen again." With that, Sokka knelt down and cupped Ty Lee's hands in his.

"Look, I know I don't have a necklace, and I'm not even sure if I know what I'm doing, but I have to ask you this, Ty Lee, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he said, a serious tone in his voice sounding completely unnatural. Ty Lee, on the other hand, was speechless. "Sokka, I, uh, yes." she said, trying to regain her composure. "I knew you wouldn't, huh?" Sokka had to do a double-take. Ty Lee smiled happily, tears welling up in her eyes. "Yes, Sokka, I would be honored." she said, suddenly finding herself being lifted into the air, then into a masive bearhug by her new husband.

And the rest, as they say, is history. Ty Lee and Sokka were married shortly afterwards, suprisingly on Kyoshi Island, with the blessing of the surviving Kyoshi warriors. And now, we take you to almost six months later.

Ty Lee laid on the hillside, listening to Sokka talk to her now bulging stomach. She felt so blessed when she found out she was pregnate, she even wore a smile though the morning sickness and the baby's kicks. Ty Lee slowly sat up from a split position, amazingly still able to at least do the splits, then stood up, Sokka practically leaping up in one fluid movement to her side. She couldn't help but smile at him. "Relax, you worry too much." she said, gracefully walking down the hill without missing a beat.

Sokka wore the typical mask of concern and worry. Ty Lee shook her head at his mixed reactions, everything from panic to excitement. "But, come on Ty Lee, you should really rest. I fact, I'll even cook tonight." Sokka said, quickly putting on a chair for his wife and even propping up her feet. After a few seconds, Ty Lee gave in to Sokka's protest and relaxed in a rocking chair, gently stroking her stomach. She wasn't sure what she was going to have, but she was going to make sure that each day of that child's life was filled with as much love as she could give.

The End.

So, what do you think?  
Please Read and Review.  
Thanks.  
- Juria 


	3. Jet and Mai

Missing Pieces: Jet, Mai, and Bumi By: Juria Notes: All characters are copywritten to Nickelodeon, or something.This story is tied in with my original series, but it is also a series of one-shots to fill in the blanks between the end and the epilogue, explaining what happened to each couple, character, etc in more detail. Gonna give it a PG-13 rating. Also, forgot what Mai's brother's name was, and I have no idea how to play Pai Sho, just going on a guess. I so wanna learn. I just want to make one final thing clear, my choice of song for Mai in this story is **NOT **ment as an isult to Iroh, or the memory of Mako. Just figured I'd clear that up before I have the Iroh's Army on my head. 

Jet and Mai ran hard and fast through the forest, their eyes subtly glancing over at one another, before returning to a firm, deadly lock on their target. Mai gave a small smile as she watched the Firenation soliders flee, right into their trap. She couldn't help but laugh as Bumi's massive wave of dirt and rocks suddenly swollowed the would-be renegades up to their necks.

Jet lept down from the trees, Mai following behind him. The soliders glared up at the both of them. All but one, who simply stared at Mai quizzically. "Mai Hiroki, you once served under Lady Azula, stood by her side as a friend, why join these misfits now?" he asked. Mai stared at him with her usual, dull glance. "I felt like it. My reasons for joining are the same as Bumi's for allowing myself and my family to live in Omashu." This left the solider with an even more puzzled look, questioning himself as Bumi earthbended them into the hands of several water and earth benders.

Mai retrieved her arrows and verious weapons from walls and trees, then sat down in front of the once-proud castle to reload. Jet glanced down at her. "Just so you know, I still don't trust you. However, thanks for the help." he said, starting to walk away, before Mai stopped him, her hand firmly gripping his. "Just so you know, I don't trust you either." she said with a smirk, before suprising him with a firm, rough kiss, leaving him both speechless and breathless as she walked away.

Over the next year, Jet and Mai worked together, between rebuilding Omashu, and spending their evenings alone, trying to track down Suki's assassin, ocassionally enjoying eachother's company. Though Mai would never admit it, she did enjoy Jet's brash, cocky attitude from time to time. It made things seem, less boring.

Jet, meanwhile, had left the near-by forest in Smellerbee and Longshot's care, seeing how much the two had grown attached to eachother. Last he heard, it had been turned into a second base, or maybe it was a daycare center, he could never remember.

However, tonight wasn't about rebuilding, or about a search and destroy mission, tonight was about one thing, being reunited with friends. As former Dai Li soliders formed two lines, one to each side of her, Mai couldn't help but feel slightly overwhelmed, she felt like royalty, oh hell, she was royalty, and it felt so, wrong. A simple snap of her fingers, and the Dai Li, whom fortunatly Toph had left in her care, vanished into the shadows as quickly as they had come.

Jet gently put his arm around her, flipping his trademark piece of straw between his lips. "About time those guys moved, they were givin' me the creeps." he said with a smug smirk. Mai chuckled softly, her eyes focused on the entrance to Omashu. "What's wrong, is big, bad Jet afraid of a few Dai Li?" she asked, playfully running her hands up his chest before brushing his hair from his eyes. Jet grinned at her. "I'm afraid of nothin'." he said, gently kissing her. "He's lying!" a voice shouted from the doors.

Mai and Jet both whipped around, already in their attack stances, until the voice's owner stepped into the light, followed by the rest of their friends. "You know, I could have taken you out, old woman." Mai said with a smirk. Toph chuckled. "Not before I earthbended you into next week." she replied with a smug smirk. Mai walked over to hug her, but suddenly stopped. It wasn't that she couldn't, it's just the large bluge suprised her. "You're kidding, right?" she asked.

Jet, however, wasn't able to stop himself. "Hey Shortstack, whoa, damn!" he blurted out, and Toph responded by plowing him hard in the arm. After Aang and Katara came Sokka, holding a rather loud-spoken 1 yr old baby, the baby's mother cartwheeling behind them. Mai shook her head. "Ty Lee, after having a baby, how do you do it?" she asked with a grin. Her old friend returned the grin. "Diet and exercise." she replied happily, before embracing Mai.

Suddenly, Zuko walked in with Iroh, carrying a few crates of tea and some other gifts. Once he'd sat the crates down, Zuko calmly walked over to his childhood friend and hugged her. Mai couldn't help but blush. Spirits, he'd gotten strong, yet he still managed to be gental. Jet gave him a smirk. "You dirty weasle-rat, you're tryin' to take my woman." he said with a smug grin. Mai stood behind him, unsure of what was going to happen.

Jet glared at Zuko, then Zuko looked at the purple mark on Jet's arm. "Yeah, and my woman beat you up." he said with a grin. At this point, Jet could no longer hold his glare, as he was now holding his arm. "Yeah, and she hits like a ton of rocks too!" he shouted, trying to regain the feeling in his arm.

While the boys ran off to play Pai Sho to see if any of them could topple the undefeated "King Iroh", Mai was left alone, akwardly, with the rest of the ladies, in a small two-bedroom apartment, to talk about whatever news was in the world. Mai simply listened, not really all that interested, until people began to ask questions.

"So, how's your baby brother?" Katara asked. Mai snapped herself out of her trance. "He's fine. Already, wanting to be a lot like me, strangly." Every girl in the room looked at her, even Toph. "So, good you or bad you?" Toph asked, breaking the silence. Mai took a deep breath before answering. Gods, she was nervous. "Luckily, he's just intrested in learning how to throw hidden weapons. Believe me, if I thought he were into anything dangerous, I know how to handle it." she said.

Luckily, the small bit of tension in the room was broken by the sound of a crying baby. Ty Lee walked over to the small bundle and lifted her little boy into her arms. "Shhh, it's ok Saito, mommy's here." However, her usual tactics weren't doing the trick. If anything, he cried harder. Soon, every lady in the room was trying to calm the baby down, doing everything from making stupid faces, to cooing and whispering to him.

Slowly, Mai walked over to the crying child, and held him in her arms, pressing him gently to her chest, gently stroking what little hair he had. She sung a soft lullaby she had heard before, stopping everyone dead in their tracks as she sang, her suprisingly peaceful voice echoing through the night air.

_"Leaves from the vine_

_ Falling so slow _

_Like fragile tiny shells _

_Drifting in the foam _

_Little solider boy, come marching home _

_Brave solider boy, comes marching home"_

Once Mai had finished, she looked down at the baby, now fast asleep in her arms. A genuine smile began to form on her lips. She gently handed little Saito back to his mother before exiting the room, quickly. Katara, Ty Lee, and Smellerbee all exchanged a confused glance.

"Where'd she learn that?" Katara asked. Ty Lee shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me. For as long as I've known her, this is a new one." she said, her face beaming with pride whenever she looked down at Saito. "Uncle Iroh." Toph stated, grinning as all three girls yelped. They'd completely forgotten about her. "Zuko ocassionally sings it to me, and in turn, to our little Mia. He told me that's one Iroh used to sing to him." she said, proudly placing a hand on her stomach.

While Ty Lee and Smellerbee began to toss questions at Toph as to how she knew the sex of her unborn baby, Katara stepped outside. There, she found Mai, sitting in front of a fountain, similar to one she had seen in Ba Sing Se, lit up by small, paper lamps. Mai wiped her eyes quickly with her sleeve the instant she heard footsteps. "What is it?" she asked, turning to the footstep's owner.

Katara shook her head. "I know what Zuko saw in you. You're as stubborn as he is." she said with a small smile. Mai gave her a quick glare. "What's that supossed to mean?" Katara chuckled. "Come on Mai, I know you're still getting used to this, spirits knows I am, but you don't have to hide your feelings or your thoughts anymore. If something is on your mind, then say it." she said, giving a small grin. "Or I'll get Toph to yank the truth from you." she said in a sarcastic manner. Obviously, the blind earthbender's attitude had rubbed off on her.

Mai looked at her with an unusual stare, as if her mind was trying to be in two places at once, the, she hugged Katara, crying on her shoulder. "Holding that child, something hurts inside of me." she said. Katara gently returned her hug. "I know what you're going through." she said. Mai gently moved away from her. "What do you mean?" Katara smiled warmly at her, and it was then and there why she knew Katara was the mother of the old gang then, and mother to most of them now.

"That feeling inside of you is love. It's a love that's been growing in your heart ever since you turned away from the darkness of Azula, broke free from your comfort zone. The only advice I can give you is go and find that one person you truely love and tell them how you feel." Mai gave her a small chuckle. "This from the woman whose true love still hasn't popped the question." she said with a small grin. Katara rolled her eyes. "Whatever, just get going. And we want details when you get back." she said. Mai gave a quick nod, then vanished into the shadows.

Meanwhile...

Jet, Aang, Zuko, Sokka, and even Longshot, who barely even played Pai Sho, were all gather around the gaming table, ten sets of eyes locked on the slow-paced game of wit and wisdom being played out by both Iroh and Bumi. The two gentalmen stayed focused on eachother's moves, despite Sokka taking bets in the background. For every move that Bumi made, Iroh countered, and vice-versa.

Bumi cracked a grin when he moved his earth tile in perfect formation, but a quick placement of Iroh's trademark white-lotus tile had the old king laughing in no time. "He,he,he, I guess I know when I'm beat." Bumi said with a laugh. Iroh chuckled, then the two stood before eachother and bow, like two warriors in a sparring match. "This was fun, we should do it again some time." Iroh said. In a matter of seconds, the two warriors were back to a cleared table, and the battle of wits, wisdom, and the ocassional wisecrack had begun again.

Jet, however, couldn't wait around to see who'd win this time, as an elbow from Zuko caught his attention, then he saw Mai, standing by one of the windows. "Damn." he muttered, quickly tossing a copper piece to Sokka on Iroh, then slipping out the door.

Mai walked along the edge of the balcony, as Jet watched her, nervously. "So, what'd you want?" he asked. Mai turned away from him and blushed. "Oh, um, just to talk." Jet raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Really, about what?" Mai jumped down from the balcony and stood in front of Jet. "It's hard to explain. A few moments ago, I was holding Ty Lee's little boy, and now, here I am sweating firepellets." she said with a nervous grin. Jet sighed, then put her hand in between his. "Mai, if you're gonna say something, then just..."

Jet was suddenly stopped with a deep, passionate kiss. Granted, Mai had kissed him before, but this one was different. It wasn't too rough, or too light. It wasn't like she was trying to ram her tongue down his throat. It was just a kiss, simple, sweet, and leaving him breathless.

When Mai finally broke off of him, Jet was literally gasping for air, his face red, and sweat on his forehead. Mai looked up at him with a loving stare. "Jet, I love you. At first I thought you were just going to be a simple fling, something I'd throw away when I got bored of it, but no, you're different. You're strong, handsome, funny. I feel complete when I'm around you, and I'm physically in pain when you're away. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, facing whatever life throws at us, together." she stated.

Jet swallowed hard, then sat down on the ground, letting everything Mai had just said sink in. After a few minutes, he stood up, took her hand in his, and returned her kiss with one of his own, hopefully, showing the same passion she had showed him. The two lovers spent the rest of the night up on the roof, staring at the stars, even watching the sunrise. For Mai, for once, the sunrise, and her life, didn't feel so boring.

3 months passed since that night, and after a few small arguments, Jet finally moved in with Mai. Things were going great, until one fateful night...

Mai had finaly gotten over how weird it was to hum happily as she arranged flowers that Jet had bought her earlier that week. After turning the plant to the left, then to the right, then back to the left, she decided it was fine where it was. Suddenly, there was a pounding on the door. She had expected it to be Jet with this month's groceries, but was stopped in mid-twirl by one of the Dai Li, who simply handed her a letter. "King Bumi wishes to speak with you, Lady Hiroki." he said in a gental tone.

However, Mai knew this wasn't going to be the typical visit. The guards only called her "Lady Hiroki" when something was wrong. When she arrived at the royal palace, all of her friends were there, as was Jet. Some were on the verge of crying, while others, like Iroh, simply bowed their head and said a quiet prayer to the spirits. Ty Lee was the first one to greet Mai, and soon, she found herself in a swarm of tear-filled hugs.

Aang and Zuko, meanwhile, had just exited the royal bed chambers, Aang embraced by a sobbing Katara, while Zuko comforted Toph and their 2 month old Mia. Jet placed a comforting hand on Mai's shoulder. "Do you want me to come with you?" he asked. Mai shook her head, then took a deep breath, and entered the king's bedroom. There, she saw Bumi, laying peacefully in one of his finest and most brightly colored robes, his voice wheezing, shallow and soft as he spoke.

Mai reached out with a shaking hand and gently caressed the white hair from the old king's eyes. "Bumi?" she asked. Bumi slowly opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Oh, Mai, it's so good to see you." he said. "Shame we couldn't meet under better conditions, he, he." Bumi coughed and sputter slightly, then rested his head on a pillow. Mai gave him a concerned look. "You look fine, old man." she said with a small smile. Bumi looked up at her and chuckled. "Even Toph could see that you're lying." he said. Mai's lip began to quiver as tears formed in her eyes. "You know what's coming, don't you?" she asked.

Bumi slowly nodded. "Yes. I have lived for one hundred and fourteen years, far too long for any man. And now, I wish to give you something in return for all your help and kindness." he said. Standing beside Bumi, a guard held out his hand, and placed a sealed scroll and an envelope in Mai's hand. Mai quickly looked the gifts over, then burst into tears. "No, no, no, no, you can't do this!" she shouted, tears stinging her eyes as she rested her head on Bumi's shoulder. Bumi gently stroked her hair, listening as Mai slowly began to calm down.

Once she had, Mai lifted her head and faced King Bumi. "The last time I was here, I brought you nothing but misery and pain." she stated. Bumi sighed. "Yes, and then you turned right around and helped repair the damage you had done. You have proven yourself to be a worthy ally, a nurturing caregiver, and one of the finest people I have ever met. I am proud to call you my friend." he stated. "And furthermore, I know Omashu is in good hands." he said, a far-off look in his eyes.

Mai clasped Bumi's strong, powerful hand in hers. "And you, are one of the most loving, sweet, and thoughtful people I have ever had the honor of meeting." she said. Bumi looked up at her, then gently rested his head on her shoulder. "Please, sing to me one last time." Mai took a deep breath, then began to sing, her sweet, angelic voice filling the hearts and minds of her fellow companions.

_"Leaves from the vine_

_ Falling so slow _

_Like fragile tiny shells _

_Drifting in the foam _

_Little solider boy, come marching home _

_Brave solider boy, comes marching home"_

And with her last verse, the old king drew his final breath, a smile on his face.

The End.

So, what do you think?  
Please Read and Review.  
Thanks.  
- Juria


End file.
